APPLE NEWTON H1000 OMP – 1993. The
Apple Newton, or simply Newton, was an early line of personal digital
assistants developed, manufactured and marketed by Apple Computer from
1993 to 1998 and whcih sold for $800 (H1000) to $1,000 (following
models). The original Newtons were based on the ARM 610 RISC processor,
and featured handwriting recognition. Apple's official name for the
device was MessagePad ; the term Newton was Apple's name for the operating system it used, but popular usage of the word Newton
has grown to include the device and its software together. For
collectors, note that the above Newton in like-new condition with its
accessories was purchased on eBay for less than $70.

DYCAM
GATOR - 1993. Modular digital
camera. Developed as a joint effort between Dycam, IBM and the
University
of Florida Research Foundation. Designed to be used with a
variety
of optical systems, computer interfaces and power supplies. MSRP:
gray scale $495, color $1,995.

IBM / POLAROID - 1993. There
have been reports on some sites about an IBM / Polaroid prototype shown
at Winter CES 1993, but a review of presentions at that event show only
a remark by Jack Kuehler, president of IBM at that time, stating that
they were working on a camera with Polaroid: "He
(IBM president Jack Kuehler) also announced that IBM is working with
Polaroid to develop a new digital instant camera that will make film
processing unnecessary. The images could be manipulated and viewed on a
PC." Kuehler called it ''a vivid example of combining the impact of images and the power of computing." Unless we can see a photo or other supporting information, we cannot confirm the existence of such a camera.

KONICA UC-01 and MC-01 - 1993. These
two prototype digicams were never marketed. To see photos
check out Dennis van Halls's new web site, digicammuseum.com, Protypes
and Rarities section.

NIKON D1 PROTOTYPE F - 1993. During
the 1993's Newspaper Exposition ('NEXPO'), New Orleans Nikon showcased
a D1 model which has a very strong appearance of the E-Series. The
camera, capable of delivering a resolution of 560,000 pixels (1088 x
480), shutter speed range from1/8 to 1/2000 sec, and a rapid shooting
rate of 1.7 eps (exposures per second) probably formed the basis for
the joint venture project with Fuji Film Ltd. later to
co-develop/produce the E-series models. The eventual product improved
the image resolution from this prototype unit to 1.3 million pixels
(1,280 X 1,000).

STARDOT
WINCAM.ONE - 1993. Tethered
camera kit. WinCam.One plugged directly into a
PC's
serial port, eliminating the need for video capture cards and
camcorders. The kit included a camera of 640 x 480 resolution, a
slide holder for digitizing 35mm slides, a tripod, all necessary
cables, a power supply and WinCam software that controlled the camera.
Designed as a desktop camera, aiming and focusing was accomplished
using the software. There were many uses for this type of camera, from
taking photos for portfolios to setting up a low-cost desktop
surveillance system. It could even be taken outside and hooked up to a
laptop and tripod for outdoor shots. MSRP $199.